Napa Valley Video Creations / Video Creations by Martha

My wedding was a destination wedding to Napa. It was a small wedding, but at the urging of friends, I decided to videotape the wedding. That is when I hired Martha.

I am really pleased with the wedding video I was given. It is as beautiful as I remember the event (having the askew perspective of being the bride). It captured those important moments in the ceremony. It is also glimpse of the ceremony for those friends and family that were not able to attend the wedding.

The great thing is that Martha is more of a "fly on the wall" so I was able to be in the moment without feeling as if I needed to perform for the camera.

If you are having an intimate wedding, I encourage you to have it captured on video. You will not regret the choice. And if you are in the Napa Valley area, hire Martha!

Really enjoyed working with Martha for our wedding video. Our wedding was at Villagio in Yountville, Napa Valley. Martha and her daughter were very professional, organized and fun to around! She made us a wonderful video and highlight reel, it was fun to see all the things we missed on the very busy big day. We felt lucky to have found her with just a few weeks before our wedding. Definitely recommend working with her to capture all the wonderful wedding memories!

I wholeheartedly recommend Napa Video Creations by Martha! We got married in Napa at Auberge du Soleil, and Martha and her daughter captured the day beautifully. My husband at first did not think we should get a videographer because he didn't want a cheesy video. He also didn't want videographers that would interrupt the flow of the day and be intrusive. I convinced him to hire Napa Video Creations based on the recommendations of Auberge du Soleil. Martha and her daughter were professional and not at all intrusive. We were so thrilled with our video and were so amazed how they were able to capture every little detail without being intrusive! My husband even said how much he liked having Martha and her team at our wedding. Our families also liked the video---even my dad called to say he watched the entire video and loved it! If you're looking for a professional wedding video that will beautifully capture heart-felt moments of your day, then you need to contact Martha. Thank you Martha!

Our wedding reception took place at Michel-Schlumberger in Healdsburg on Aug 14, 2010. Martha’s video creation did a great job at capturing both our wedding ceremony and reception. A team of two, mother and daughter, they were extremely sensitive to our needs, paying careful attention to our request and keeping staging to a minimum. They both were able to capture intimate moments without being intrusive. My husband and I were delighted to see such complete footage, allowing us to relive the whole event including those moments that we were not there for.
They had really good equipment and knew how to use it, producing a quality video with great sound and excellent editing.
Thank you Martha and Marian for being a part of our special day and creating such a wonderful and long lasting memory!

Martha was great!

Napa Valley Video Creations was wonderful. Martha and her team were both professional and a joy to be around. They created such a wonderful video of our day and looking at it, I barely remember them being there recording it all. Which I think makes it nice. I highly recomemded a video person for your wedding day. There are some moments that aren't quite captured by photos. A lot of the day is missed by being rushed around, so it's nice to have something to look back on and remember what a wonderful day it was.

We really enjoyed having Video Creations by Martha at our intimate ceremony at Auberge du Soleil in Napa, CA. Since it was just the two of us, we wanted a video in order to watch upon our return with our family and friends. Martha was great! She's full of energy, passion, and dedication. The video was also terrific - especially the highlights reel provided at the end. We're pleased with our choice and fully recommend her.

I would highly recommend Martha to any bride. We are so happy that we decided to get a wedding video. After the whole wedding, you realize a lot of it is a big blur from all the frenzy and excitement. It was soo great to receive the video and relive different parts of it and even see parts that we missed. It's something we will pull out every year on our anniversary and enjoy.

Martha was completely unobtrusive during our wedding. She has worked at the Sonoma Mission Inn and with our photographer Michelle Walker a number of times and they were all a great team. It is worth fitting into your budget if you are considering a video. You'll have it forever - unlike most of the details that disappear after the big day!

We love our wedding video.

It was a last minute decision to have a video filmed and we are so glad we did.

Martha and her daughter were great to have around for our wedding. They provided experienced insight and were very good about capturing all the right moments but without feeling intrusive. I was especially pleased with the finished results and for a fantastic price. They were very knowledgeable about our wedding site at Calistoga Ranch and made sure to get all the great shots and locations, they knew exactly where to go. I would strongly recommend them.
Heather Haas

Martha and her daughter were amazing. My husband doesn't like cameras and was fighting me on getting the video made. He didn't want to have the cameras in his face during the wedding because he felt he was already going to be nervous. Plus its a pretty large investment. BUT when we received the video and saw they captured every moment AND we didn't even know they were there - we were extremely happy! We were so thrilled to have the video - I can't even explain it. It really was one of the best investments. There were so many things we forgot that we said or did and when we got the video it brought it all back for us. We've already watched it 4 times with family and friends and we can't wait until we are able to share it with our children one day. I HIGHLY recommend them! Thanks Martha!!!!

Martha & Marian produced for us an incredible wedding video at Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley that truly captured the magic of our special day in a unique manner that will give us joy for years to come. They were a pleasure to work with, and meshed perfectly with our photographer, Michelle Walker, and completely allowed us to relax and focus on the moment, knowing that our video and photography needs were being handled by true professionals. They shot footage that was memorable and poignant, yet they managed to remain in the background of the events as they unfolded without interfering in any manner. Video creations by Martha recommended a fabulous guitarist/vocalist, Alec Fuhrman, whom gave the evening warmth while being engaging and entertaining. We highly recommend Video Creations by Martha to any couple or family seeking to hire videographers that will create a lifetime of memories in dazzling quality. This is one expense that we would not forego because the video truly captures moments that we may have missed in all of the excitement.


-Jenna Wells and Dave Doto

From the very start, communication was excellent. I found Video Creations off of a 'google' search and initially emailed Martha with a few questions. She was very responsive right away and was very detailed in answering all of my questions.
I was working with her out of state and with the way she handled everything, it was one less detail I needed to stress out about.
My husband and I eloped and I wanted a way to share our wedding with family and friends who (obviously) would not be there. Even though we wanted our ceremony private, this was a great way to remember it ( especially since it went by so quickly) and my parents were overjoyed that they could witness the event.

When Mike and I met Martha and her daughter, they were even friendlier in person and the chemistry b/w them, Judith the photographer, and Rev. Blaine Ellsworth was such that it made our experience special. Neither Martha or her daughter were intrusive while videotaping the ceremony and it still felt like Mike and I were the only ones there....

The finished product was great, also. I was able to share a DVD with my parents, my grandmother and Mike's family and keep one for ourselves. It was put together beautifully with the music we picked out and she even agreed to do a photo montage of Mike and I growing up and then dating. It has made a wonderful keepsake and I have taken it out to watch a few times.

I would recommend Martha ( and her daughter) for any special event you would want to remember; even though we didn't have the typical wedding, I was very glad that I did go ahead and decide to have it recorded. I did have hesitations in the beginning when I first contacted Martha, because I didn't think there would be enough to record, but again, she did an excellent job.

Martha was amazing, and you don't even know she is filming! She captured every moment of our wedding day. It is a very professional piece of work...not just a video. It is like watching a well edited movie. The recap of the entire day was done to music at the end of the video, and it warms your heart, and brings tears to yours eyes to watch the special moments of the most important day of our life. The best money you will spend on your wedding!

Dear Napa Valley Wedding Creations,
We would like to thank Martha, and her staff for doing such an amazing, professional, and perfect job at our wedding. You all were wonderful! You were so much fun and easy to work with. You were like part of the family that day and we really appreciate all that you did for us! Your professionalism, experience, and easy going personalities helped to make our wedding day perfect. It really wouldn’t have been the same without you there.
We received so many compliments on your behalf from all our guest, they were so impressed.
We really could not have asked for a better videographers and we thank you from the bottom of our heart for helping us making our wedding day absolutely perfect.
Thank You again!!!

Fondly,

Kelly and Alex Gipson

We had Video Creations by Martha for our daughters wedding. The wedding was a Christian/Hindu wedding and was very colorful and unique. Martha and her assistant, Marian, captured this beautifully. They were so discreet and almost invisible. The Bride and Groom and their families felt very comfortable and relaxed even though they were 'on camera'. The wedding celebration was a three day event and Martha was present for all the occasions. She was very easy to work with. I would highly recommend her. Jody Kent Briner, Mother of the Bride

Martha at Video Creations is wonderful. My brother and his wife worked with her for their wedding, and we knew we wanted to work with her to capture our big day, as well. She is extremely professional, while very friendly, which is a huge help during stressful wedding planning. At both the rehearsal as well as the wedding day, she was there to capture all the special moments, but she and her assistant were so clandestine, I wasn't even aware of them! On top of all that, she was extremely flexible as we were married in downtown San Francisco, which can be challenging! When we saw the video, my husband and I felt as if we were married again - the ceremony and reception were such a blur that day. Martha captured all the details both at the church and the Ferry Building, where we held our reception. She was a joy to work with, and I would highly recommend her to any of my friends.

We were married at Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley, which, even without the embellishment of wedding decor, is an absolutely beautiful venue! The first time I stood on the balcony where the ceremony would be held and looked out over the valley, I was awe-struck. Since we were celebrating one of the most important days of our life in such an amazing location, we wanted to be able to capture as many of the details as possible and as naturally as possible. We had not seriously considered using a videographer to record our special day until the minister with whom we were working suggested contacting Martha at Napa Valley Video Creations. Our wedding officiant had contracted with her to film her ordination ceremony and was overwhelmed by Martha's discretion and professionalism in recording this special day. She consistently praised her ability to capture candid moments while remaining virtually invisible and thus non-intrusive.

My husband and I would be quick to pass on a similar glowing recommendation of Martha and Napa Valley Video Creations. Even after the recommendation from our minister, we were not sure if the additional cost associated with hiring a videographer in addition to a photographer would really provide that much value added. My husband had never really had home videos growing up, and so could not attest to the advantages or disadvantages of video documentation. I, on the other hand, had experienced a number of my family's home movies and, while cute and fun to watch now and then, had not totally convinced me of the value of this medium over that of still photography. However, upon seeing the work that Martha produced, THIS IS NO HOME VIDEO. The final product was so much better than we would have ever imagined. More importantly, the final DVD provided us with a high-quality documentation of our wedding rehearsal and wedding day that captured and preserved details that could not have been captured through still photography alone. From the emotion and body language of all in attendance, to the sniffles of our guests during the ceremony, to the readings, our vows, and the music, it was all there. The aspect of the recording that I was the most happy to be able to watch and re-watch was that of the actual ceremony. With all the emotion and excitement of the day, my focus was almost entirely on my future husband and it was virtually impossible to be a tranquil observer in order to take in all the details, large and small, and emotion that surrounded us. To document the sound, my husband was wearing a small microphone (a fact completely unbeknownst to me until we were watching the video and he informed me of its presence). Just as our minister had suggested, Martha and her assistant (her daughter) were virtually invisible. The only time I really knew that she was there was when she was filming my bridesmaids, my mother and I as we prepared for the ceremony. Nonetheless, even during that very personal, very intimate time spent "with the girls", she and her daughter were able to capture that special moment through our voices, our body language, our comings and goings, etc. with great discretion. In addition, Martha and her daughter are such nice, warm and thoughtful people that I was very happy to have them around sharing in that moment.

The final cut of the video lasted about two hours. We could only imagine the time that was involved in sensitively editing virtually 8 hours of filming (rehearsal + pre-ceremony + ceremony + post-ceremony + reception). One of the really special aspects of the video is the 5 minute highlight clip at the end. Prior to our wedding day, Martha asked us to select a song (or two) of about 4-5 minutes in length. She then created a video collage that provided "our wedding in a nutshell". Her ability to couple the images, movement, and some sounds from our wedding day with the song that we selected was truly extraordinary. In addition to being very poignant, the highlight section is also very practical, as it enables us to show friends who were unable to attend a small, yet representative, sample of our wedding day without obligating them to sit through two hours of it!

Both my husband and I were extremely pleased with the final product and very much enjoyed working with Martha every step of the way. If you are considering a videographer for your event, and even if you aren't (we weren't initially), we would highly recommend Napa Valley Video Creations. Martha is a wonderful person, very professional, and will certainly capture your special day in a way that will supplement your own memories and provide you with the ability to view the aspects of that day that you wished you could have seen, but were unable to witness for yourself.

Martha and her daughter were incredibly gracious and professional. They captured our wedding beautifully and we are extremely happy with the video. While it sometimes took a while for a return email response to questions (who doesn't?!) we felt they did a great job and would highly recommend them without reservation.

Martha was so wonderful to work with from the very beginning, and really stood out out of all of our vendors. She was professional, kind, and so pleasant to work with, which means so much when planning and dealing with all of the stress that goes with it. By the end of the process she was like a guest at our wedding.
When we saw the finished product we were completely blown away!! She has the eye and the talent to capture the most priceless moments of the day. It was everything we could ask for and more and we will treasure the DVD and our relationship with Martha for years to come.

We were incredibly delighted with Martha's videography of our wedding. She captured the event perfectly (sound, color, quality, and even had a second videographer to get different view points!). She was a joy to work with and seemed committed to her work and sincerely interested in helping us capture the event. The turn-around time for the final product was very quick too. I would highly recommend her!

I have been working with Martha Mintun from Video creations by Martha for several years now, and she is still my favorite video vendor to work with! On wedding day, she is right in the middle of all the action, and catches every little emotion of the day, all without being "in your face" which can sometimes be a challenge for a wedding videographer. Her videos are very professional, and transition and flow beautifully. I love to show my new brides her clips, to get the real flavor of the day- and the excitment! Still photos can speak volumes, that is true- But after watching a good wedding video, you can see and feel the magic all over again.